Located off Tamiami trail in Ochopee, Florida, the Big Cypress National Preserve is increasingly disturbed by construction, expansion, oil drilling and conversion,  affecting native species throughout the preserve. One of Florida's keystone species is the endangered Gopher tortoise. Their population has drastically decreased in South Florida after becoming a direct target of road projects and new developments. The relocation and mitigation process for tortoises are detailed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation. However many times these processes are disregarded, burying and smothering Gopher tortoises in their habitats. This presents a large problem since their burrows provide resource and habitat for many other symbiotic organisms. Among the many native species going extinct in the state of Florida due to invasion, the Gopher tortoise is heading in that direction. Last year, footage, obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) through a Freedom of Information Act request, show Burnett Oil steamrolling trucks barreling through a dense cypress habitat, made up of spongy soil with trees falling everywhere. In attempts to turn Big Cypress National preserve into a big oil production facility, Burnett created "the first large-scale seismic exploration of its type and size in the state of Florida". However, due to the rain and soggy ground last year, the trucks became stuck in the mud until they could be removed destroying all habitat beneath. Putting the project on hold, Burnett Oil co. promised they would restore the areas affected by the drills and steamrollers, but have not followed through. As of 2019, the project is set to resume now that the wet season has passed. Burnett Oil has set up shop right in the heart of the preserve and the Florida Panther Refuge Park. Executive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association, Matthew Schwartz says, "There are fumes. You’re putting a construction site in the middle of the Amazon of North America.The cumulative impact of oil, development, more people, more cars, is just overwhelming" (Sun Sentinel). As a reasonable citizen, I understand the need for oil in the US but why choose the one protected national preserve left in Miami, to do so? Imagine feeling constant seismic vibrations on the earth and being run over by large machines. Environmentalists are protesting in opposition to furthering the disturbance in South Florida's upland habitat, home of endangered wild panthers and Gopher tortoises. Please join me by signing this petition and bringing awareness to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Burnett Oil co.

Thank you,

Rachel